Machine for makibtg bricks



FIDE.

MACHINE FOR MAKING- BRICKS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 4,481, dated April 25, 1846.

To' all whom, i?? may concern Be it known that I, Joriv4 SIMPSON, of Decatur, in the county of Dekalb and State of Georgia, have invented a new and Improved Machine for Forming Brick of Dry Clay; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification.

The nature of my invent-ion consists in the manner in which I force the clay into the molds, which is done by the percussion of heavy weights or beaters which are raised by machinery to a suitable height, and then are disengaged and fall upon and force the clay into the molds.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l, is an isometrical projection of my improved brick machine, as arranged for use. F ig. 2, is a side elevation of one of the beaters A 4used in my brick machine, with a cross section of the shaft for elevating the same. Fig. 3, is a plan of the lower end of one of the beaters.

I construct a strong frame of posts, cross ties, caps, braces, Sac., in any well known or usual manner, similar to the one represented in the accompanying drawings.

In the lower part of the frame is secured a table or platform p, elevated a short distance above the floor of the same; openings are cut in this platform (29,) which form the molds in which the brick are compressed; z', c', are movable bottoms fitted into the molds, which are connected to the pedals 7c, c, in such a manner that the attendant can raise the brick out of the molds, after they are compressed, by pressing his foot upon t-he pedals. The molds in` the platform p, are arranged in pairs, and placed very near to each other, so that two molds can be acted upon by the same beater.

Immediately over each pair of molds the square beaters A, are arranged in a vertical position, they are secured by four posts m; a rabbet being cut in each, for thevreception of the corners of the beaters, in which they freely .slide up and down. The posts m, are secured at top and bottom to the plates N, by mortise and keys; the plates N are secured to the cross caps and cross ties of the frame in the same manner. On the rear side of the beaters, between the rear supporting posts m, there are inserted five cogs r-more or less-and immediately in the rear of the beaters, there runs longitudinally with the frame, an elevating shaft B. In the shaft B, opposite the cogs in the beaters, there is inserted a similar number of cogs, and of corresponding size, so that they will mesh into them. As the elevating shaft revolves, consequently, it raises the beaters to the required height, and then becomes detached from them, and allows them to fall upon the clay in the molds. The elevating shaft B, may be connected to the driving shaft D, by cog gearing (a trundle head on the end of the elevating shaft meshing into the cog wheel C, on the vert-ical driving shaft) or any other manner of propelling the elevating shaft can be made use of which may be thought best.

I usually construct my beaters about six feet in length, weighing six orseven hundred pounds; using beaters of this sizeI generally allow them to fall four or five times upon Vthe clay i'n the molds. A sufficient quantity of yclay is shoveled into and on the molds to form the brick and something over. vThe bottom of the beaters have project-ions s, s, corresponding to the molds, so that the whole weight of the beaters will press upon the clay in the same. hen a sufficient numberof blows have been given with the beaters upon4 the clay in the molds, the ratchet f, is thrown up which catches into the rack on the front side of the beater, the lever L, is then drawn under the projection g, on the side of the beater, which elevates it beyond the reach of the cogs on the elevating shaft, and safely secures it in that position while the bricks are removed from the molds and fresh clay supplied to them. After catching and securing the beater as above described, the workman attending the machine, scrapes off withhis shovel, the surplus clay from the top of the molds, thereby smoothing the tops of the bricks, he then puts his foot upon the treadle 7c, and elevates the bricks out of the molds,- which are removed and fresh clay in its natural state is supplied to the molds as beof heavy beaters, combined and operating fore described. With the other parts of my machine substan- Having thus fully described my improved tielly in the manner herein set fort-h. brick machine, Wh'at I claim therein as new JOHNy SIMPSON. 5 and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is Witnesses The compressing dry clay, or clay in its Z. C. ROBBINs, natural state, into molds by the percussion J. W. THAYER. 

